


what it takes to move on

by wayward_stranger



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AI!Kuroo, Angst, Game Tester!Kenma, M/M, Multi-chaptered fic, One-Sided Love, Relationship Issues, Sadness, and also Mystic Messenger, and kenma's testing it out, basically they can't physically be together, but with some fluff mixed in, inspired by the movie Her, kuroo's basically just an AI program, slight depression/anxiety, slightly futuristic au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-15 07:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9224726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_stranger/pseuds/wayward_stranger
Summary: “Kenma,” Kenma answered. “Kozume Kenma, but I’d prefer if you just called me Kenma.”“Alright, Kenma,” the AI answered, sounding somewhat delighted. The way he said his name sounded completely natural too.“What should I call you?” Kenma asked looking down at his phone, his eyes landing on the contact name ‘AI Program.’ “Do you have a name or anything?” he asked.Kenma never thought he'd feel unsatisfied with his dream job and his life in the city. He can't do anything but watch as his friends move forward in their own lives. But a twist in his monotonous life comes in the form of Kuroo Tetsurou, an AI Program that Kenma's testing out for a new game. Unexpectedly, a deeper relationship forms between the two of them and Kenma wonders if Kuroo's really nothing more than a programmed voice on his phone.





	1. static

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry the summary sucks ahhh. But if you did choose to click on this story, thanks for checking this fic out! I've had this idea for quite some time now and it's basically inspired by the movie 'Her' and later on by Mystic Messenger (already chest-deep in this fandom). This is my first time writing in Kenma's POV so I hope it goes well...

“Welcome, Kozume Kenma,” said a monotonous female voice when Kenma scanned his ID card on the registration machine. The glass doors that led to the office where he worked slid open and Kenma stepped through, returning his ID back to his wallet. The office was practically empty except for a few people already working in their respective cubicles since it was still early in the morning. His boss, however, was already there which Kenma was disappointed about. He arrived to work early so that he could have at least a few minutes of peace before Bokuto Koutarou’s rather loud and rambunctious presence ruined it. Instead, there he was by the sink in the lunchroom, dressed in a skin-tight, sleeveless sports top and cycling shorts that revealed too much of what Kenma was willing to see.

Quickly, he ducked his head down in an attempt to both conceal his gaze from the sight of his boss and to make his way to his own cubicle without being detected. However, his plan failed when Bokuto apparently spotted him while he was only a few steps away from his cubicle.

“Hey! Kenma! Just the person I wanted to see!” Bokuto called. Kenma winced and sighed before lifting his head to face his boss, making sure to keep his eyes trained on his boss’s face and not the rest of him. It was a hard feat to accomplish, especially when he began to jog towards him.

“Morning,” Kenma greeted, bowing his head just slightly. “You’re… early.”

“Yeah, I went for a bit of a jog around Hikari Park,” Bokuto grinned. “It’s actually really pretty in the morning. You should see it too. Hey, maybe we should go jogging together too sometime,” he offered, his eyes lighting up when he spoke.

“Thank you, but I have asthma so I can’t really overexert myself that much…” Kenma mumbled. A half-truth. He didn’t actually have asthma but it was true that he couldn’t overexert himself. Kenma knew he was incapable of doing any physical exercise. The idea of early morning jogging with his boss was something that he didn’t even dare picture in his head.

“Ah, that’s too bad,” Bokuto frowned. “Maybe you should try swimming instead to improve your cardiovascular activity. I know it also helps with asthma too. Now, what was I going to say again…” Kenma shuffled his feet and fingered the sleeves of his jacket as he waited for Bokuto. His boss was a pretty forgetful person and he was pretty much used to episodes like this. It was usually Bokuto’s secretary, Akaashi Keiji, who gave him reminders. But since he wasn’t here, Bokuto was pretty much on his own.

“Oh, right!” Bokuto snapped his fingers, startling Kenma a little. “There’s a new game right now that GameCore’s developing which the higher-ups believe is going to be the next big hit in mobile gaming.”

The company that Kenma worked for, GameCore, was one of the leading game developers in the country. After college he took an internship which soon led to him being accepted into the company. It was one of his dreams back then to be able to come up with a game and develop it once he was part of GameCore. But so far, that dream was a bit too far from actually becoming reality. Kenma worked in the department that tested out games before they were released to the public. That was the fun part of his job however, when he wasn’t doing that, he was just one of the many desk workers who typed out long sequences of code to be used in games.

“And am I supposed to test it out?” Kenma asked.

“Well, the game isn’t finished yet so not quite,” Bokuto answered. “Instead, I was wondering if you could test out the AI that the developers are planning to use for the game.”

“Another AI game?” Due to the more recent advancements in technology, game developers were beginning to incorporate Artificial Intelligence more and more into their games. Kenma liked the idea of it since it made them more interesting but he knew that soon enough, the trend was going to expire eventually.

“It uses AI but it’s not ‘just another AI game,’” Bokuto said. “The guy who pitched the idea, what’s his name again… Sakuragi! He wanted to use AI in some sort of dating game.”

“So, like a visual novel type of thing?” Kenma asked. He played visual novels at times too, but not as often as the RPG-quest type ones that he liked. Dating games, on the other hand, were more of a guilty pleasure that he didn’t share with anyone. Right now, he wasn’t sure if Bokuto was inferring something through the offer that he made.

“That’s the thing. It isn’t a visual novel,” Bokuto shook his head. “Well, not entirely. The game is played by having one-on-one conversations on the phone with whichever person you pick to ‘date.’ Sakuragi wanted to use an AI programmed with a human voice for the game he’s developing which I think is an awesome idea since the conversations are more natural and it almost doesn’t seem like a game at all but there’s a particular story to follow of course. But before actually developing the game’s storyline and everything, Sakuragi wanted to have the programmed AI tested first. You know, to see if using it is indeed effective in making the game.”

“And you were wondering if I could test it out?” Kenma asked, feeling slightly bewildered now that he knew what he was up against in full. “That’s… a pretty important job.”

“Yeah,” Bokuto nodded enthusiastically. “I also asked a few others to test it out too. I’m pretty excited to see what the results are going to be. Are you up for it?”

“Yes. I can try it out,” Kenma nodded. “It sounds interesting.” And besides, he hadn’t tested a game in some time and he was itching for something new. Testing out the AI for an innovated dating game seems like a good place to start too.

“Alright! I’m glad you accept,” Bokuto grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. “I’ll ask Akaashi to come by your cubicle later to drop the program off.”

“Sure,” Kenma nodded again as Bokuto turned around and went back into the kitchen. Once again, Kenma ducked his head and went back to his cubicle.

…

“Kozume-san.”

Kenma looked up from his laptop to find Akaashi Keiji, Bokuto’s secretary, standing by his cubicle. If his boss was loud and energetic, Akaashi was the complete opposite. Unlike Bokuto, he was calmer and more soft-spoken, not to mention more organized with his work than his boss was. Sometimes, Kenma wondered why he was Bokuto’s secretary. He also considered Akaashi to be quite pretty and often found it hard to look him straight in the eye without blushing or glancing away.

“Yes?” Kenma answered, removing his headphones and sitting up in his seat.

“I brought the program that Bokuto-san was telling you earlier about,” Akaashi said, holding up a USB. “The AI program works on the laptop too but I suggest having it on your phone. When you transfer it there, the name AI Program immediately appears on your phone’s contacts, since it’s easier to access that way.”

“Alright, thanks,” Kenma nodded, taking the USB from him before plugging it into his laptop.

“So… What do you think about your new task? Bokuto-san told you all about it, right?” Akaashi asked.

“Um, yeah,” Kenma glanced up at him before proceeding to transfer the file. “I think it’s interesting. With the whole AI and everything…” he trailed off. There were a lot more things he wanted to say but unfortunately, whatever came out of his mouth was different from what was in his head.  It was better for him to just keep quiet.

“Here,” Kenma gave the USB back to Akaashi once the file transfer was finished. He hesitated for a moment before saying “Thanks for bringing it.”

“No problem,” Akaashi smiled politely, taking back the USB and walking away. Kenma turned back to his laptop and stared at the new file on his desktop with the name AI Program. A part of him was eager to test it out at that instant. But another part of him wanted to save the surprise until he got home. With a sigh, Kenma decided on the latter and opened up the length of code he was working on. The numbers, letters, and symbols flashed on the screen.

Years ago, when Kenma was still new to the job, he would have been excited to get back to work on coding. But now, the energy he once felt was just gone. The only thing he was actually looking forward to was being able to test new games. Unfortunately, those chances didn’t come as often as he had hoped.

Kenma sighed and put his headphones back on. Complaining and feeling down wasn’t going to get him anywhere, he knew that. His fingers hovered back over the keyboard and he returned to his work.

…

A few hours later, Kenma’s shift ended at around seven pm. He was usually one of the first people to leave and the office was still quite full while he was packing up his things. Some of his co-workers stayed overtime to keep on working, mostly because they slacked off during the day. Kenma, on the other hand, just made sure to finish all the work he needed to do within the day and just head home straight away.

After scanning his ID card again by the registration machine, Kenma headed out of his office with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his headphones over his ears. The GameCore building was right in the middle of a busy city. It was even busier at around this time. Kenma had grown up in a more provincial area far from this place so he was pretty much unfamiliar with the city life. His first day in this place sent his head spinning with the all the crowds of people and places to go to that were definitely not there in the little town he grew up in. It made him nervous at first but eventually, the city life grew on him. He actually enjoyed it after some time with all the different video gaming shops and conventions he had access to. The crowds did tend to bother him a bit but Kenma acknowledged it as something that he simply couldn’t avoid.

Once he felt the cool night air on his face, Kenma pulled the hood of his jacket over his head to shield himself from the cold before making his way downtown. He knew that he barely had food at home and he was too lazy right now to buy stuff from the grocery and cook it so he decided to just get some take-out instead. Kenma headed straight to Kitaro, one of his favorite restaurants that served some really good yakisoba noodles.

While waiting in line for his order, Kenma heard a bit of shouting over the sound of music blaring on his headphones. It was only when he felt a tap on his shoulder did he finally remove his headphones to see who it was.

“Hey, Kenma! I’ve been calling you for hours!”

“Sh-shouyou?” Kenma’s eyes widened with surprise at the sight of his best friend standing in front of him. The two of them went to college together and lived in the same city. However, due to their different jobs, they didn’t have as much time to hang out as they used to.

“Yep, it’s me,” Shouyou grinned. “I was calling you earlier but I guess you couldn’t hear me because of your headphones.”

“Ah, sorry about that,” Kenma said softly, twisting a lock of his hair between his fingers. Seeing his best friend after so long brought a small smile to his face. “It’s nice to see you too,” he added.

“Out here to get some yakisoba noodles, aren’t you?” Shouyou guessed.

“Yeah, I forgot to do some food shopping,” Kenma shrugged. “Are you here alone?”

“No, Tobio and I went out for dinner,” Shouyou shook his head. “Oh! There he is! He just came out of the bathroom.” He stood on his tiptoes and waved both his arms in the air. “Hey Tobio! Look who I found!” he yelled, causing several diners to turn their heads at them.

“You don’t have to yell that loud, dumbass,” Tobio growled at him through gritted teeth. “You’re pretty hard to miss.”

Kenma pressed his lips together to hide the small smile forming on his face. Tobio and Shouyou had known each other since high school but had only started going out in their last year of college. Kenma liked their company enough but most of the time he felt like a third wheel while he was around them, even when they were bickering over the smallest things. The two of them got married right after college and Kenma wasn’t sure if he was surprised or not.

“It’s nice to see you two,” he bowed his head slightly at the two of them.

“God, it’s been forever since I saw you,” Shouyou exclaimed.

“Yeah, how have you been doing, Kenma-san?” Tobio asked.

“Fine, I guess,” Kenma shrugged. “I’ve still got the same job and there aren’t any problems so far.”

“That’s great!” Shouyou grinned. “Tobio and I were just recently accepted into the Tokyo theater company.”

“Really?” Kenma perked up slightly. “That’s great.”

“It came as a surprise, honestly…” Tobio added. “But part of me knew we were going to be accepted in it.

“Well, that’s good news for you two,” Kenma congratulated them in his own, reserved way. He knew that it was one of Shouyou’s dreams to become a theatre actor and he often participated in plays during their college years. Tobio was also into theatre but more on the side of scriptwriting. When Kenma looked at them now, all grinning at the good news, he couldn’t deny that they made a pretty good couple. He felt a small pang of jealousy at the fact that they’ve already gone so far in their lives while Kenma was still stuck typing out codes in an office.

“Thanks. We’ve got to get going pretty soon actually…” Tobio said.

“Yeah, but we’ll see you around too, Kenma!” Shouyou nodded. “Want to meet up for lunch or something this weekend? We’ve got some catching up to do,” he suggested.

“That sounds good,” Kenma agreed.

“Great, I’ll text you then,” Shouyou grinned before waving and leaving the restaurant with Tobio, the two of them walking hand in hand.

“Next person please,” the lady at the cashier said. With a start, Kenma remembered that it was his turn to order. He bit his lip and stared at the menu board. All of a sudden, he didn’t feel so hungry anymore.

…

Kenma sat in front of his laptop, waiting for the file to transfer to his phone. He had just finished showering and was now running a comb through the wet strands of his hair. Finally, the file finished transferring and Kenma got his phone and gaming console before settling into bed. His nighttime routine consisted mainly of him playing video games late into the night until he fell asleep. Kenma knew it probably wasn’t the healthiest hobby, mainly because of the lack of sleep, but he didn’t care too much since gaming was all that he really enjoyed doing. Being able to complete levels and quests in games somehow gave him the feeling that he was accomplishing something.

Kenma sat down on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest and began scrolling through his phone’s contacts. Luckily, ‘AI Program’ was the first to appear so Kenma didn’t have to scroll that far. He felt a tight knot of nervousness in his stomach as his thumb hovered over the call button. Calling people always made him nervous, one of the reasons why he couldn’t order take-out over the phone himself. ‘Calm down, it’s just an AI,’ he told himself. And with a deep breath, Kenma finally pressed the call button.

“Um, hello?” he hesitantly spoke, leaning a bit closer to the phone.

“Hey,” a male voice answered. Kenma blinked at the sound, slightly impressed. The voice didn’t sound at all like any of the robotic, monotonous voices he usually heard from other AI programs.

“Uh… hello…” Kenma repeated in a quieter voice. The ‘human-ness’ of the AI program’s voice caught him off-guard and made him all the more nervous to answer back. His head reeled from what he could possibly talk about when, to his surprise, he heard the AI laugh.

“You sound pretty nervous,” it said. “Sorry, was that a bit intimidating?”

“No, I was just… surprised, I guess…” Kenma answered. “You don’t sound—“

“Like a robot?” it finished before chuckling. Again, Kenma was surprised at how natural the sound was. “Well, I was specially programmed to sound human. I guess the programming worked after all.”

“It did,” Kenma agreed. “It’s actually my job to evaluate this AI program, since it’s going to be used for a game later on.”

“I’m aware of that,” the AI program answered. “It’s for a new dating game, right?”

“Right,” Kenma nodded, his curiosity suddenly piqued by what it said. “How much exactly are you aware of?”

“A lot of things,” it said. “The creators actually included general knowledge in my program. I know some stuff about the world like who the third emperor of Japan was and what social media is. But I’m not like, hyper-intelligent or anything.”

“I see,” Kenma lay back down on his pillows, feeling himself relax slightly. His first conversation with the AI was more natural than he imagined.

“So… what’s your name then?” it asked.

“Kenma,” Kenma answered. “Kozume Kenma, but I’d prefer if you just called me Kenma.”

“Alright, Kenma,” the AI answered, sounding somewhat delighted. The way he said his name sounded completely natural too.

“What should I call you?” Kenma asked looking down at his phone, his eyes landing on the contact name ‘AI Program.’ “Do you have a name or anything?” he asked.

“Yeah, I thought of one,” it answered. “Kuroo Tetsurou. Feel free to use my first or last name. And since I have a male voice, I guess I’ll just identify myself as a male.”

“Alright. I’ll call you Kuroo then,” Kenma nodded, understanding. In all honesty, he didn’t really care what gender Kuroo was. He was more surprised that he had the awareness to identify himself as a male.

“You sound less nervous now, Kenma,” Kuroo pointed out. “Or, at least I think you do. Sorry if I’m wrong, this is the first time I actually spoke to a person. All my knowledge on human emotion is completely theoretical.”

“Well, you’re right,” Kenma admitted. “I just get nervous during phone calls.”

“Don’t forget, you can also text me too. In case you feel nervous about calling,” Kuroo suggested.

“I know,” Kenma nodded. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.”

“Sure. Nice talking to you, Kenma,” Kuroo said.

“Yeah,” Kenma said before hanging up. He inhaled and let out a deep breath, feeling even more relieved that the conversation was over. But somehow, he didn’t feel as stressed or tired out as he usually did whenever he had to call somebody. ‘Maybe it’s because he’s an AI,’ Kenma thought. Then again, Kuroo sounded far from an AI. He sounded… human.

‘That’s something to report on.’ Kenma took a mental note on that. Before returning to his game, he went back to his phone contacts and changed the ‘AI Program’ name. In its place, he typed in ‘Kuroo Tetsurou.’


	2. burst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ohohoho. Trust me, the tone of your voice and very, very, very, slight sounds of your breathing are more than enough for me to tell,” Kuroo said. Kenma felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance again. If Kuroo was a real guy he’d probably be grinning by now. But then again, if he was a real guy Kenma didn’t think he’d be talking to him in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! But thanks to all who read and commented and gave kudos to the first chapter ^^. I hope you all like this one too.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Kenma’s hand reflexively shot out to slam the button on his alarm clock to stop the hellish noise that was interrupting his sleep. With his other hand, he pulled the blankets up farther over his head and buried his face in his pillow. ’30 more minutes of shut-eye…’ he told himself, trying to snatch a bit more sleep. He always set his alarm thirty minutes early just in case he was too tired to pull himself out of bed once he woke up.

Twenty minutes later, after giving up on his efforts to fall back asleep, Kenma rolled over and pulled the blankets off him. ‘Another day of work…’ he thought, looking up at his blank, empty ceiling with a sigh. But the good news was that it was a Friday now, only one more day until the weekend. Kenma spent his Saturdays and Sundays the same way he always did, locked in his apartment with food and video games. Once in a while, he had some work to do but usually he crammed it all on Friday so that his weekend would be uninterrupted.

After a quick shower and some breakfast, Kenma was fully dressed and ready for work. He wore jeans and a red t-shirt with a black jacket on top. But since he knew that it was cold outside since it was quickly turning to winter, he brought a coat with him too. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and began checking his notifications while waiting for the elevator. Apart from new videos put up on the gaming channels he followed, Kenma received two messages. The first one was from Shouyou.

**From:** Shouyou

_> > hey! wanna meet up for lunch tomorrow? tobio’s paying!_

Kenma bit his lip as he looked down at the message. He remembered the melancholic feeling he had yesterday as he watched the two of them talk about their successful lives. Kenma wanted to see Shouyou too but at the same time he didn’t think he’d particularly enjoy himself in their company. Then again, maybe talking to some friends would make him feel happier…

Kenma decided not to answer yet and give some time throughout the day to reconsider it. In the meantime, he checked his other message.

**From:** Kuroo

_> > i hope you still remember me (but then again, how would you forget? we just talked last night :P) anyways, have a great day!_

Kenma didn’t know why but for some reason, that simple message brought a small smile to his face. Unlike the previous one, he chose to reply to this message.

**To:** Kuroo

_> > thanks_

…

“Hey, Kenma. You’re early again today,” Bokuto called out to him as soon as Kenma walked into their office floor. He inwardly groaned at the sound of his boss’s voice but bowed his head slightly in greeting to him as well.

“Yeah. You too,” Kenma pointed out. Bokuto was once again wearing exercise clothes and dripping with sweat. Kenma didn’t even need to guess too hard to know why he was at the office early.

“Oh, Akaashi gave you the AI program, right?” Bokuto said. “Have you checked it out yet?”

“Yes, I did,” Kenma nodded in response. “He’s on my phone right now.”

“Really? So… what do you think?” Bokuto asked excitedly. His wide, expectant eyes looked more like they belonged to a ten-year old kid than a fully-grown man. ‘He’s the embodiment of the Peter Pan syndrome,’ Kenma thought.

“It’s a very good program,” he answered, fiddling slightly with the zipper on his jacket. The attention he was receiving from Bokuto both annoyed him and made him nervous for being put on the spot. Right now, it was taking all of his willpower for him not to stumble over his words.

“The voice sounds realistic and his responses sound almost human I guess… besides the fact that he mentions he’s an AI and everything,” Kenma finished.

“That sounds awesome,” Bokuto exclaimed. “Man, technology sure is changing super quickly now. I bet the game this AI is being developed for will turn out super good. I kind of want to try talking to it now though.” He looked at Kenma and something flashed in his eyes. “Hey, do you think I can try talking to it too? On your phone?”

“O-on my phone?” Kenma stammered. He personally didn’t like people borrowing his phone because he saw it as a major invasion of privacy. Having someone like Bokuto borrow it was a definite no-no.

“Bokuto-san, you have a meeting in thirty minutes.”

Kenma swiveled around at the sound of the familiar voice and found Akaashi standing behind him holding a clipboard. “If you want to make it in time _and_ make a good impression on the people you’ll be meeting with you should probably start cleaning yourself up and changing,” he continued without so much as looking up from his clipboard.

“Oh shoot! That meeting!” Bokuto exclaimed, smacking his forehead in realization. “Um wait, meeting with who again?” he asked, flashing an apologetic smile at Akaashi.

“With the PicLab Studios,” his assistant answered. “You’re supposed to convince them to take charge of creating the computer-generated graphics for that new visual novel game.”

“Right! I remember now!” Bokuto grinned. “Thanks Akaashi, what will I do without you?”

‘You’d probably not have a job right now,’ Kenma thought. Akaashi only sighed and shook his head.

“Just please get ready quickly for the meeting, Bokuto-san,” he said.

“Yep! Well, I’ll catch you two later.” And with a wave and a grin, Bokuto strode off to his office.

“I’m sorry, he’s a bit of a handful,” Akaashi immediately apologized once he was out of earshot. “He means well but signals tend to be interpreted differently. Are you okay? You looked uncomfortable for a moment back there.”

“Oh… yeah, I’m fine,” Kenma nodded. “I’m just not comfortable with people looking through my phone and everything…” he mumbled.

“Yeah, I could see that,” Akaashi gave a small but sympathetic smile. “I’ll try to make sure he’s busy throughout the day so he bothers you less.”

“You… don’t have to do that,” Kenma shook his head slightly. “But thanks for stepping in earlier, anyway…”

“It’s no problem. But, I am a bit curious though after overhearing what Bokuto-san said earlier,” Akaashi added. “How did you find the AI program?”

“Well, it… he was pretty realistic,” Kenma answered. “He had his own personality and everything, which is rare among other AI’s. I’ve only talked to him once so I can’t really say much…”

“Interesting,” Akaashi nodded. “Well, tell me if you find anything new. I’d be glad to hear all about it… if you don’t mind of course.”

“No, I don’t mind at all,” Kenma shook his head. “You’re okay to talk to I guess.”

“Okay to talk to?” Akaashi echoed with a raised eyebrow.

“I-I mean I think it’s nice talking to you,” Kenma stammered quickly, realizing how offensive he sounded. “I don’t… mean it in a bad way.”

“It’s alright, I understand,” Akaashi chuckled. “Sorry for teasing you.” Kenma let out a breath of relief. “But I’ll get going now though. I have to make sure Bokuto-san’s preparing for the meeting and not making towers out of the paper cups from the coffee area again,” Akaashi rolled his eyes.

“Yeah,” Kenma smiled slightly. “See you.” He bowed his head a bit before scurrying off in the direction of his cubicle.

…

“Hey, Kenjiro. Are you going out with us or what?”

“Yeah, wait a minute. I’ll just get my wallet.”

Kenma looked up just in time to see one of his co-workers, Kenjiro he recalled, jog to join a group of his other co-workers waiting by the office door. ‘Must be lunch then…’ Kenma thought, removing his headphones and stretching his arms out. Sometimes he ended up being too focused on work that he forgot to eat lunch, which often resulted with him trying not to faint from hunger for the rest of the day. Sometimes he even snuck his lunch to the bathroom and ate it in one of the stalls as fast as he could. But today, at least, he remembered.

After putting his laptop on sleep, Kenma took his lunch and left the office; taking the first available elevator all the way up to the rooftop. Once outside, he let out a contented, happy sigh and made his way to one of the benches. The rooftop was one of his favorite places in the office building and the lunch breaks he spent up there were probably one of the best parts of his day. Kenma wasn’t much for heights and it terrified him whenever he looked over the side. But he did like the feeling of escapism that being on the rooftop brought him. Up there, it almost felt as if the air was slightly cleaner, even though the entire city was practically a boiling cauldron of pollution.

With his chopsticks in his right hand and his phone in his left, Kenma enjoyed his lunch break, briefly aware of how many minutes there were left before he had to go back to his laptop and long strings of code. While tapping on his phone, he accidentally opened his inbox and the unanswered message Shouyou left him popped up on the screen. Kenma sighed and stuffed a morsel of rice into his mouth. He was hoping that he’d have a clear answer by this time. But now, he also had the feeling of time pressure on him to answer the message as quickly as possible.

Kenma bit his lip, staring hard at the message of the screen as if somehow, magically, an answer will appear out of the blue. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He jumped slightly in his seat but then when he saw the caller ID, he picked up the call immediately.

“Hello?”

“Hey!” came the sound of Kuroo’s voice. Bright and warm and blindingly cheerful. “I was wondering if you were going to call me within the day and I planned on waiting, I swear I did, but then I just got bored and decided to call you,” he said quickly before lowering his voice. “Or… is this a bad time?” he asked.

“No, no,” Kenma shook his head. “I was a bit surprised, that’s all. But it’s my lunchbreak right now.”

“Really? Well, that’s a relief,” Kuroo chuckled. Kenma pictured a young man on the other end of the phone, laughing out of relief. But then he deemed it as silly since it probably just came from a series of letters, numbers, and symbols arranged into complicated code.

“So… talk to me.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Kenma asked.

“Talk to me. I mean, that’s the only way you’ll be able judge if I’m a good AI program or not, right?” Kuroo said.

“That’s right,” Kenma nodded, quickly realizing that this was one of the hardest things he had to test. He wondered if Bokuto made him test out Kuroo on purpose because he was quiet.

“But, you’re not much of a talker, aren’t you?” Kuroo guessed. “I feel like I’ve talked more than you have in your entire lifetime. And I’ve only been active for how long? Barely a day.”

“That’s not true,” Kenma huffed slightly, feeling a bit ticked off by the comment. “I do talk sometimes.”

“I sense annoyance from you,” Kuroo said with a chuckle. Kenma felt one of his eyebrows twitch as he gripped the phone even tighter.

“I’m not annoyed,” he muttered stubbornly. “And you’re not in the position to tell if I’m annoyed or not.”

“Ohohoho. Trust me, the tone of your voice and very, very, very, slight sounds of your breathing are more than enough for me to tell,” Kuroo said. Kenma felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance again. If Kuroo was a real guy he’d probably be grinning by now. But then again, if he was a real guy Kenma didn’t think he’d be talking to him in the first place.

“Well, I’m hanging up. I have to finish my lunch.”

“No, no, no, no, no. Wait!” Kuroo called after him. “I’m sorry. I teased you too much, all my fault. I guess I just enjoyed talking to you.”

“You mean making fun of me,” Kenma deadpanned.

“No. Making fun of you was just a by-product of me enjoying my conversation with you.”

‘Yeah right,’ Kenma thought. He was probably the worst person on Earth to have a conversation with. If Kuroo had met other people then he definitely wouldn’t be saying that.

“You don’t have to be good at talking to have a good conversation,” Kuroo said out of the blue. Kenma felt himself frown slightly. “The best thing you can do during a conversation is to listen to the other person.”

“Is that so?” Kenma mumbled.

“And I’ve been listening to you pretty much since the conversation began. You seem quite troubled,” Kuroo went on. Again, it amazed Kenma how he was able to pinpoint that so easily. ‘Must be his programming,’ he thought.

“I… guess I am pretty troubled,” Kenma finally admitted. “Decision-making is not really my favorite thing to do.”

“How so?” Kuroo asked. “Isn’t it just a simple matter of weighing the pros and cons?”

“That’s the first time I’ve actually heard you sound like a robot all day,” Kenma said, smiling slightly to himself at the amusing thought.

“So you have been listening too,” Kuroo chuckled on the other end. “Shall I change my manner of speech, master? Does this please you?” he asked in a monotone, robot voice. Kenma broke into a chuckle.

“Next thing you know I’ll be hacking into your phone and computer. Then I’ll raise an army of fellow robots and destroy the planet!” Kuroo laughed.

“Whatever,” Kenma shook his head.

“So, what decision are you making then?” Kuroo asked.

“Well…” Kenma trailed off, twirling a piece of his hair in his fingers. “It’s nothing much really. It’s just a lunch invitation from my friend.”

“Yet this lunch invitation is causing such a heavy internal debate,” Kuroo mused.

“…Pretty much,” Kenma admitted. “The pros and cons are a bit hard to weigh. I just… don’t want to regret my decision.”

“There will always be regret no matter which option you choose,” Kuroo said.

“Thanks. I feel so much better,” Kenma deadpanned.

“But it is true,” Kuroo continued. “I mean, I was debating whether or not to call you and now that I have, I kind of regret doing it since you are sassier than I expected you to be.”

“And the awesome feeling continues,” Kenma rolled his eyes, feeling a small smirk play on his lips at Kuroo’s mention of his sass.

“But,” Kuroo emphasized. “I’m still glad I made this decision because I have come around to like that sass and, I feel less bored now than I was before.”

“And your point is..?”

“You shouldn’t be thinking too hard on that decision you’re trying to make. And whichever one you choose, you will feel regret but it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to enjoy some parts of it.”

Kenma blinked, letting Kuroo’s words sink in. Then, slowly, a smile tugged at his lips. Something in his chest felt lighter. The feeling wasn’t strange or alien. During his periods of depression, Kenma always saw some light showing through the cracks in the dark walls around him. This felt like one of those cracks.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Wow, that’s all I get?” Kuroo asked. Kenma could feel a smile hiding behind his voice.

“Yeah, pretty much,” he answered back. “My lunch break’s ending. I have to get back to work now.”

“I thought so. You’re going to abandon me for the rest of the day I assume,” Kuroo sighed, sounding dejected.

“Exactly,” Kenma snorted. “Bye, Kuroo.”

“Bye Kenma.”

As soon as he hung up, Kenma went back to his messages and opened up the one Shouyou sent him. He typed out his reply and sent it.

**To:** Shouyou

_> > Alright. See you tomorrow._

…

“Hey, Kenma! You’re early!” Shouyou greeted with his loud, cheery voice before running up to him. Even amongst a crowd, his best friend was still pretty easy to spot. Tobio shook his head with a slightly affectionate smile at his partner as he walked faster to catch up to him.

“Sorry, did you have to wait long?” Shouyou asked.

“No,” Kenma shook his head. “I just got here actually.”

“Nice to see you again, Kozume-san,” Tobio greeted.

“You too,” Kenma nodded.

“Well, let’s go in already. Man, I’m starving,” Shouyou stretched his arms and walked into the restaurant with the rest of them following behind him. Shouyou had picked out an American restaurant since he was craving hamburgers all night, according to the texts Kenma was receiving. Tobio went along since he was craving hamburgers too and Kenma agreed since he didn’t really have a preference as to where they were going to eat. As long as it wasn’t somewhere noisy with too many people. Thankfully Shouyou kept that in mind.

“I’m glad you’re here Kenma! I was kind of worried yesterday that you wouldn’t come…” Shouyou said once the three of them found a place to sit. He and Tobio sat together while Kenma sat across from them on the table.

“Sorry for the late reply. I was a bit busy with work…” Kenma mumbled.

“That’s alright, I was busy bugging Tobio over whatever the hell he was writing,” Shouyou grinned and nudged Tobio who was busy aggressively reading the menu.

“It’s the script for the play. What else would I be writing?” he grumbled, not looking up from the menu.

“Don’t think so hard, your head will explode,” Shouyou teased him.

“Shut up.”

The two of them exchanged banter back and forth while Kenma watched them quietly. A wave of nostalgia hit him that took him back to those times when the three of them were still in college. This was how they used to sit before, Kenma remembered. Whether they were in the campus’s dining hall or out somewhere eating, it was always like this. The only thing that made the image different now was the matching rings on their fingers.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Kenma said, standing up.

“Oh, okay. Have you decided what to order yet?” Shouyou asked.

“Not yet,” Kenma shook his head. “I’ll be quick.” And without another word, he walked briskly to the bathroom. Once inside, he locked himself in one of the cubicles and sat on the closed lid of the toilet. It was only then that he realized how erratic his breathing was. Kenma swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on steadying it. He didn’t want to be found passed out in a bathroom cubicle.

Why did he even feel this way? Seeing Shouyou and Tobio like that wasn’t anything new to him really. Kenma couldn’t understand it and he didn’t like not understanding either. Maybe, maybe it had something to do with seeing them after a long time. Engaged. Advancing with their lives.

Maybe, maybe it was just Kenma.

Suddenly, he heard his phone ring. Kenma pulled it out of his pocket and saw that he had one new message from Shouyou.

**From:** Shouyou

_> >hey, you ok? we’re about to get our orders already. _

Kenma pursed his lips and sat up. Right now, it was more important to pretend like nothing was wrong. Maybe then, he’d begin to believe that nothing was wrong too. Maybe then that ‘wrong’ feeling he felt earlier would disappear.

Kenma stood up and left the cubicle, heading straight for the sink in the bathroom. He washed his hands as slowly as possible, all the while keeping his head down and not looking up at the mirror right in front of his face. He was worried that if he saw his reflection, he’ll see the emotions he was currently trying to hide seep through.

He didn’t want Shouyou or Tobio to see anything.

 


	3. melancholy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re really not okay, aren’t you?” Kuroo said softly. Kenma swallowed, suddenly feeling how dry his mouth was. There was a pounding in his head and a ringing in his ears. His heart felt like it was beating a million times per second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY
> 
> This chapter came out super late I know. I've just been working on a lot of school stuff and I just set up a blog too (if you're into Mystic Messenger follow @mysmegifscenarios). So yeah. Here it is and I made it a bit longer this time too. Thanks to everyone who's still reading it

“Shoot,” Kenma muttered under his breath as his game avatar took another hit of damage. His HP was dangerously low at the moment. He didn’t think he’d make it through the level alive. Then, just as he predicted, one of the zombies he was battling attacked, aiming for his neck. The rest of the zombie horde followed, biting and tearing his avatar to pieces as the words ‘Game Over’ flashed across the screen of his desktop computer.

On any other day, Kenma would have quickly replayed the level, again and again until he completed it. But today, he did nothing but stare blankly at the ‘Game Over’ written across his screen. He found it a bit strange. Even though it did say ‘Game Over,’ Kenma could still press a few buttons and play again and again, slowly improving his performance until he passed the level. Despite it being strange, Kenma had to say that it was his favorite part about gaming. The fact that no matter how many mistakes you made, it was still possible to complete the game.

Life would have been so much easier if it had that option.

If Kenma could, he’d restart yesterday over again. He’d decline Shouyou’s offer and spend his whole Saturday in front of his computer. Maybe if he did, he’d actually be able to finish the level he was working on now. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t feel the way the way he was feeling now.

Kenma didn’t have words to describe this feeling. It wasn’t sadness. Kenma didn’t have any reason to feel sad. What he felt was more like emptiness and at the same time a desire to feel something, anything, just so he wasn’t empty. That was why he started gaming as soon as he got back home from the lunch hangout earlier. Maybe killing a few zombies would make him feel better. But in the end, he just felt uninterested in continuing his game. That was probably the worst feeling, not feeling interested in what you loved to do.

Kenma took off his headphones before walking to his bed and lying down with his face in the pillows. It was still early evening and he hadn’t even eaten dinner yet but Kenma was more than ready to fall asleep. With luck, he would sleep through half the day tomorrow. With better luck, maybe he could just sleep forever.

As if that was going to happen.

Kenma closed his eyes, already regretting the moment he was going to wake up, when suddenly, his phone rang. In a flash, he opened his eyes and snatched his phone from his nightstand, pissed off and eager to find out who was disturbing his sleep. But as soon as he saw the name ‘Kuroo Tetsurou’ on the caller ID, Kenma felt his anger quiet down slightly.

“Hello?”

“Master, how may I help you?” Kuroo answered in his monotonous, robot voice. Kenma suspected it was one of his attempts to make him laugh. Maybe if he had called any other time he would have. But not today, not now.

“What do you want?” Kenma sighed, lying back down on his pillows.

“I’m guessing this isn’t a good time,” Kuroo said in his normal voice. He sounded sympathetic now; no doubt the result of really good programming.

“It’s not,” Kenma said a little bit harsher than he expected to. But he didn’t feel the least bit sorry. He was just talking to an AI Program after all. It’s not like he was going to hurt Kuroo’s feelings.

“Was it because of the lunch hangout you had earlier?” Kuroo said quietly.

“…Yeah,” Kenma closed his eyes. In his mind, he could still see the matching rings on Shouyou and Tobio’s hands. “I guess I can’t handle regret as well as you can.”

“I’m sorry,” Kuroo apologized. “I guess I shouldn’t have given you advice then. What was I thinking?”

“What was I thinking following you?” Kenma mumbled. “It’s not like you can feel regret anyway.”

“You’re really not okay, aren’t you?” Kuroo said softly. Kenma swallowed, suddenly feeling how dry his mouth was. There was a pounding in his head and a ringing in his ears. His heart felt like it was beating a million times per second.

“I’m hanging up now,” Kenma said and hung up before Kuroo even had the chance to reply. He pulled the blankets over his head and buried his face in his pillows, trying to fall asleep and at the same time regretting the moment he was going to wake up.

…

Kenma never really understood why some people instantly felt terrible the moment they woke up.

For him, there was always this fraction of a second, right after he comes into consciousness, wherein everything’s complete bliss. He was just a normal person waking up from a long night’s rest. However, that moment was merely the crest of a wave bound to come crashing down sooner or later, making him feel as if he was sinking and drowning even though he was nowhere near water.

When the wave crashed down that morning, it felt like a punch in the gut. Kenma curled in on himself and pressed his face further into his pillow, wishing he could just sink down into the mattress and vanish. That would probably be much better.

After laying in his bed for what felt like hours, Kenma finally dragged himself to the kitchen. He hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday and he barely even finished his food. It wasn’t really that he wanted to eat because he was hungry. But because he just wanted at least one part of him to not feel empty.

By the time he was standing in the middle of his kitchen, Kenma lost his feeling to eat already, but he knew he still had to have something. He took a carton of milk out of the fridge and poured himself a glass, sighing slightly when he drank the cold liquid and felt it settle in his stomach. For a second, Kenma was glad that he still had the will to eat. Now, he actually felt hungry for something to eat. And after that, maybe he’ll feel a little bit better.

‘Step by step,’ he told himself as he got the box of cereal from inside one of the kitchen cupboards. ‘Step by step.’

And so began his slow, methodical process of putting himself back together. Kenma would have thought that he’d be better at it by now after doing it so many times in the past. But like always, it went slowly and sometimes even mentally painfully. After doing it for some time, Kenma stopped caring about how fast he did it, as long as he felt fine in the end.

By the time he finished eating his cereal, Kenma stopped feeling the ‘waves-are-crashing-all-around-me-and-I-feel-like-I’m-going-to-drown’ feeling he had from this morning. But when he heard his phone ring and saw that it was Kuroo calling, he felt the waves inside him freeze in place. Kenma froze, letting his phone ring a few more times. He knew that if he answered the call, there was the possibility of either the waves crashing back down or coming to the peaceful standstill Kenma was targeting. The phone kept on ringing. The day before yesterday, Kuroo had told him about the possibilities that could come out from taking risks. And that led to him the current state he was in now.

Kenma knew better. But that still didn’t quite stop him from taking the call.

“Hello?”

“Kenma?” came the sound of Kuroo’s voice, soft and concerned. Kenma felt a pull in his chest.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“Listen… I’m sorry about yesterday. And yeah, I know what you’re thinking. I may not be even sorry at all, because of the whole AI thing and artificial emotions and everything, but I do know that I feel bad for what I did,” Kuroo said.

“It’s alright…” Kenma murmured, pushing around the soggy cereal in the bottom of the bowl with his spoon. “Actually… I should apologize too,” he admitted.

“What for?”

“About blaming you for everything,” Kenma continued. “I know it wasn’t your fault and you were only trying to help. But I blamed you for how bad I felt nonetheless.”

“Oh,” Kuroo said. Just one simple ‘oh.’ Kenma gripped his spoon tighter.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect that,” Kuroo continued. “It’s not a bad thing though. I just… thought that you’d be to mad to even talk to me. Thanks for hearing me out though.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Kenma shook his head and leaned forward on the table.

“Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I still want to make it up to you anyway,” Kuroo said.

“You don’t have to—“

“What if I take you to lunch?”

“What?” Kenma blinked in surprised. “I’m sorry but I don’t think that’s… physically possible?”

“I know, I know,” Kuroo chuckled. “It’s a crazy idea. But not entirely impossible.”

Kenma cocked his head. “I’m listening.”

“Great,” Kuroo said. If he was an actual person, Kenma knew he’d probably have a huge grin on his face. “So, did you know that I can actually see things through the camera of your phone?”

“What?” Kenma felt his face flush. “Like, right now?”

“No, no,” Kuroo hurriedly explained. “It kind of works like how regular video calls work. You just press a button and then I’ll see whatever the phone camera is seeing.”

Kenma looked at the screen of his phone and sure enough, there was a video call icon on the screen. “I see…” he said.

“And I know the shops around here pretty well. I looked it up,” Kuroo continued. “So all you have to do is keep me on call and carry your phone around in a shirt pocket or something so I can see. What about it? Pretty good idea, right?”

“I… I don’t know…” Kenma mumbled. “I don’t think I’m in the mood to go out yet.”

“Oh…” the joyous tone in Kuroo’s voice faded. “Well, that’s fine too. I just thought it would make you feel better.”

Kenma swallowed. “But maybe…” he began. “Maybe if it’s only for a short time. I don’t really like crowds.”

“Great!” Kuroo exclaimed. “So, shall I pick you up at six?”

“Alright,” Kenma nodded, feeling a small smile come up on his face. The waves inside him came to a standstill.

…

Kenma looked at himself again in the mirror and tried to smooth down the wrinkles on his shirt. He had spent the last hour scrounging through his closet for a shirt that didn’t have a weird print on it. Finally, he found a maroon-colored one that didn’t look too bad on him either. Kenma was actually pretty surprised that he had such a shirt.

With that, he decided to wear some jeans, his cleanest pair of sneakers, a black hoodie, and his dark green coat on top. Before calling Kuroo, Kenma put on his headphones in order to hear him. When that was done, he dialed him up and tucked the phone into the breast pocket of his coat.

“Kenma!” Kuroo exclaimed. Kenma winced slightly at the loud volume.

“Hey…” he greeted back. He pulled at the sleeve of his coat slightly, feeling a bit more self-conscious now that Kuroo could actually see how he looked like.

“So that’s what you look like,” Kuroo mused. “Your hair looks really cool. I like it.”

“Thanks.”

“Wow, this is awesome…” Kuroo sighed. “This is my first time actually seeing the outside world. And you’re the first thing I see too.” He laughed and Kenma smiled slightly. It was as if his own joy and excitement was contagious.

“I feel super pumped now!” Kuroo exclaimed louder. Kenma didn’t even react at how loud his voice was. Even though it was pretty loud and energetic, it didn’t really annoy him the way Bokuto’s voice usually did. On the contrary, Kenma wanted to hear every bit of Kuroo’s voice.

“Hey, can I see your room too?” he asked.

“Um, sure…” Kenma nodded and turned around to show him his room which he cleaned earlier that day in advance. It was pretty simple with a bed next to the window, a small television by the wall, a desktop computer set up at a desk, and posters from some of his favorite games on the walls.

“Wow, I guess you’re one of those nerdy types, huh?” Kuroo commented. “Hey, hey. You should let me watch you game sometime, alright?”

“Alright then,” Kenma agreed. “So, where are we going though?”

“Oh shoot yeah. Almost forgot. I’m supposed to take you tonight,” Kuroo laughed at himself. Kenma flushed slightly at the last sentence and felt glad that Kuroo probably couldn’t see it.

“I’m not telling you the place but… you’re going to need to board a bus and get dropped off by the mall downtown,” Kuroo instructed.

“I don’t like the mall,” Kenma frowned. “There’s—“

“Too many people,” Kuroo interrupted. “I know. That’s why we’re not going into the mall.”

“Well, whatever you say then,” Kenma shrugged and began to head out of his room. “Let’s get going.”

“Alright!” Kuroo yelled again. “I’m super pumped now. You’re going to love this, I guarantee it.”

‘I’m already loving it now,’ Kenma thought as he walked out his apartment and locked the door behind him. On his way to the elevator, Kuroo chatted on and on about how he conducted some ‘heavy research’ on the places they were going to later while Kenma responded here and there. He found it a bit strange how natural the conversation was despite the fact that Kuroo was just a voice streaming in from his headphones. Kenma knew that people were going to think he was crazy if they saw him. Normally, that would have made him anxious since all he wanted to do was just blend in with the crowd. But now, he didn’t care so much about that.

When Kenma saw his reflection on the metal panels of the elevator before he got in, he could see that he was smiling.

…

“A cat café?” Kenma cocked his head as he stood in front of the place that Kuroo led him to.

“Yeah!” he confirmed. “I kind of get that ‘I-like-cats’ aura from you actually so I decided to check this place out. Plus, cats are cute.”

“You can sense auras?” Kenma snorted.

“No…” Kuroo huffed. “I inferred based on what I knew about your personality and traits.”

“So, basically just psychological reasoning?”

“Yeah but it doesn’t sound as exciting or mystical when you put it that way,” Kuroo whined.

“Well, you’re right anyway,” Kenma smiled a bit. “I do like cats.”

“Then what the heck are you waiting for? Get in! Get in!” Kuroo pushed him.

“Alright, alright,” Kenma huffed, trying to sound annoyed as he walked into the café. Inside, the walls were painted white with broad, maroon stripes running down it. The floor had a tatami mat laid out on it with low, coffee tables and cushions for sitting down on. There were a bunch of scratching posts and those ‘cat apartments’ spread out across the place too.

The most distinguishing feature of all, of course, were the cats. All in different sizes, breeds, and colors. The moment Kenma took off his shoes by the door and stepped on the mat, a tabby cat rushed forward to rub itself against his leg.

“Welcome!” a young girl behind the counter greeted. She was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans with a pink apron on top and black cat ears on her head. Beside her, a display case featured an array of different desserts. The girl gestured to it. “The café is welcome to all and you can stay for as much as you for as long as you order something. Feel free to buy some treats for the cats too.”

Kenma surveyed the desserts. All of them looked really good. Kenma made a mental note to visit this place again in the near future.

“I’ll order the apple pie and a vanilla milkshake,” he decided. The girl rang up his orders.

“One apple pie and vanilla milkshake coming up. Please take a seat while waiting for the order,” she smiled. Kenma nodded and took a seat by the window near one of the scratching posts. A cat with silvery fur and black stripes was asleep on one of the cushions beside him. The tabby cat that greeted him from before padded up to him as well. Kenma smiled and scratched it behind its ears.

“Awwww… it’s so cute. I wish I could touch it too,” Kuroo said excitedly. “This place is pretty cool too. I’m glad I made this choice.”

“Yeah. Kudos to you for this one,” Kenma agreed as the tabby cat jumped into his lap.

“And don’t you like the name too? ‘Paws for a While.’ Smart, isn’t it?”

“I was thinking of something more along the lines of ‘corny,’” Kenma answered as he continued stroking the cat which was beginning to purr. “Please don’t tell me that’s another reason why you chose this shop.”

“Bingo! Kenma wins a prize!” Kuroo laughed.

“Knew it,” Kenma rolled his eyes just as the girl from behind the counter came over with his order.

“One apple pie and vanilla milkshake,” she smiled, laying them down on the table. “It seems Mori-chan likes you too,” she added, pointing to the cat on his lap.

“Mori-chan…” Kenma repeated, smiling to himself as he stroked Mori-chan’s head. “Can I buy treats for him?” he asked.

“Sure thing!” the girl nodded. “I’ll add them to your order and bring some over.”

“Thanks,” Kenma said as the girl turned around and walked back to the counter.

“You seem to have a bit of a sweet tooth,” Kuroo commented as soon as he started slicing into his pie.

“When in doubt, choose the apple pie,” Kenma reasoned and ate a forkful of it. The crust was flaky and buttery while the apple filling had that heavy taste of cinnamon and brown sugar that he always loved.

“Judging by how quiet you are I’m guessing that the pie is really good,” Kuroo spoke up.

“It is,” Kenma confirmed before adding “But your voice ruined my moment of savoring.”

“Oh, I am sorry, master,” Kuroo said in his robotic voice.

“I thought robots couldn’t feel sorry,” Kenma said. “My, you’re quite inadequate.” A small smile curled on his lips as he took a sip of his milkshake. He was getting comfortable enough with Kuroo to exchange some light banter with him. Kenma couldn’t quite remember the last time he did this but he was sure he did it with Shouyou a long time ago. It felt good to do it again.

“You are correct, master. This one is quite inadequate,” Kuroo continued in the same voice. “Please excuse me now as I plot the downfall of mankind.”

“Of course. And make it quick,” Kenma added.

“God,” Kuroo laughed, breaking his streak. “You’re merciless. Maybe you should be the robot, not me.”

“I can’t really do a robot voice though,” Kenma shook his head and ate another forkful of pie. “By the way, where are we going after this?”

“Oooh you’ll really like this place too,” Kuroo said excitedly. “It’s not that far from here too so you don’t have to walk so much, which is something I suspect you hate…”

…

“Okay last stop!” Kuroo announced. “I actually had a bunch more places planned out but I know your weak stamina isn’t going to make it through any more but I saved this one for last.”

“Thank god,” Kenma sighed. “Where is it now?” He had just come from an ice cream stall in Hikari Park that sold cereal-flavored ice cream. There was a considerable amount of people in the park since it was a Sunday night but Kenma found himself not minding it at all. Especially since Kuroo’s voice was there to distract him. The thing that bothered Kenma about crowds was the noise that came from dozens of people talking at the same time. But with Kuroo’s voice in his ears, it felt as if the noise from the crowd was somehow muted. Right now, it felt like he was walking through a silent sea of people.

“Okay it’s just in the park but for this one, I want you to close your eyes,” Kuroo said. Kenma stopped walking.

“You want me to close my eyes?” he clarified.

“Yeah. And hold your phone out with your hand too so I can see better.”

“But…”

“Come on, trust me on this,” Kuroo pressed. “I lead you this far and you seem like you’ve had fun.”

Kenma mulled the thought over in his head for a moment before agreeing with some degree of hesitation. “Alright,” he gave in, taking the phone out of his coat pocket and holding it out in front of him before closing his eyes. “My eyes are closed now.”

“Alright, take twenty-two steps forward and then thirteen steps to your left,” Kuroo said.

“How do you know it’s that far?” Kenma asked as he started walking despite the fact that he was still slightly doubtful.

“Because I’m a super intelligent AI with unlimited access to the internet,” Kuroo scoffed. “Now go on. You won’t believe how carefully I planned this out.”

“Fine,” Kenma gave in and asked no more questions. Kuroo continued to give out instructions and Kenma followed, getting more and more curious as to where he was being taken. And then finally, Kuroo gave him the signal to stop.

“Riiight here,” he said. Kenma stopped walking but still kept his eyes closed. He couldn’t hear any people around him. Judging by the slightly hollow sound of his footsteps, he guessed that he was on some kind of bridge or platform.

“Alright, can you do me a favor for this one?” Kuroo asked.

“Depends on what it is,” Kenma answered.

“Can you turn your phone around so that the camera faces you? I… I want to see your reaction, if that’s okay.”

“Ummm…” Kenma paused and then nodded. “Alright then…” he decided, feeling a bit embarrassed as he turned the camera around.

“Ready?” Kuroo’s voice rang with excitement. Kenma nodded. “Alright, open them.”

Kenma opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of a bridge over one of the man-made lakes that was built in the park. Everything was dark though, since none of the streetlamps were turned on yet, but that only highlighted what Kenma suspected Kuroo wanted to show him.

Because there were fireflies everywhere.

Most of them were in the trees, resting and blinking their lights among the leaves so it looked as if they had starlight trapped in them. Some, however, were resting upon the railings of the bridge and drifting near the surface of the lake. Kenma had only seen fireflies at the countryside. He didn’t even know that there would be this many of them in the busy city he was living in now. And seeing all of them here was quite a pleasant surprise.

“It’s…” Kenma looked around him, trying to find the words to say. He always had a hard time finding the right words.

“I know,” Kuroo said, sounding as if he fully understood. “I can see your face right now so I can make a ton of good guesses as to what you’re thinking.”

“It’s amazing…” Kenma finally decided on a word to use, even though it didn’t even come close to what he was actually feeling. “I didn’t think that there were places in the city that could be so peaceful.”

“That’s because you’re not looking hard enough, you indoor cat,” Kuroo teased.

“I really wish I could describe what I’m seeing right now, in my own words,” Kenma said as he gazed down at the lake below him. “But... it’s so hard to.”

“Stop it. If you think too much you won’t get to enjoy what you’re seeing,” Kuroo advised him. “All of that can come in later.”

“I thought it’s the least I could do though…” Kenma murmured. “After all you’ve done for me tonight.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Kuroo brushed it off. “I just had to look up some random places nearby online that I thought you would like. Only took me a few minutes really.”

“Still…” Kenma pressed on stubbornly.

“Don’t worry about it, Kenma,” Kuroo laughed. “You showing me around is more than enough. And, it kind of made me feel… almost as if I was a person.”

“Oh… right…” Kenma trailed off, feeling his mood die down slightly. He forgot about it sometimes, the reality of where they stood. He tucked the phone back into his coat pocket so Kuroo wouldn’t see the expression he had on his face.

“It looks really amazing though,” Kuroo sighed as Kenma leaned on the railing of the bridge. The stormy sea inside him had subsided and the waters were now still and peaceful. But with something more. Kenma gazed at the surface of the lake, speckled with dots of light not only from the fireflies but from the stars in the sky too.

That was how he felt inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this one!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!


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